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Sep. 21, 2012 Source: NFocus news release Companies marketing agricultural inputs and services covet the opportunity to interact with the nations' largest row crop farmers, but face significant logistical and scheduling hurdles in achieving this goal. Not only are large farming operations geographically far-flung, many simply can't afford the time to participate in meetings with multiple suppliers. "These are the people that we are trying to get in front of all year," said Mike Borman, chief operating officer of Conservis Corporation, a company that makes farm enterprise technology solutions. NFocus Partners co-founder and agricultural industry veteran Kim Nicholson created NFocus Forums for Agribusiness to bridge this gap by bringing large farmers together with suppliers for a series of personalized meetings in a relaxed setting. Georgia's Lake Lanier Islands Resort provided an ideal setting for the most recent Agribusiness Forum held August 20-23, 2012. Row crop farmers representing 250,000 acres of prime US and international farmland interacted with agricultural supplier companies in this third event orchestrated by NFocus Partners in partnership with Beck Ag, Inc. Carroll, Iowa farmer attendee Matt Danner liked the on- to-one meetings. "I'm used to meetings with five to twenty people," Danner said. "This one my first experience with one-to-one meetings, which allowed both parties to speak with openness and candor." "We couldn't be more pleased with NFocus in terms of the quality of growers that attend," said Jason Kuhlemeier, marketing manager for Agrium Advanced Technologies, a global producer of agricultural nutrients. Efficient and Informative "Participating in NFocus Forums is one of the most effective marketing activities we do," said Borman. "This Forum allows Conservis to start or build a relationship here, and then we follow up with additional meetings. The one-on-one time with the decision maker is priceless. Ultimately, we convert these folks as customers." "Normally, ag companies invite prospective customers to group seminars. We truly appreciated the one-to-one conversations - they were informative and we learned a lot in a short period of time," said Patrick Schaffer, a farmer from Cannon Falls, Minnesota, who attended the supplier sessions together with his wife Sarah, who is an integral part of the Schaffer farming operation. Looking to the Future NFocus Forums also provide participating companies with unique insights into the needs of large farmers. Conservis president Eric Jackson said his company succeeds by solving farmers' problems. "During the NFocus sessions, we undercover new problems large farming operations are facing that aren't currently being addressed," he said. "This forum gives us the opportunity to sit with growers and hear them tell us-unfiltered -- about their farming operations. They tell us what's working, what's not working, and improvements they'd like to see," said Kuhlemeier. "The flip side is that we get to tell our Agrium story -unfiltered-as well," he added. "Our Agribusiness Forums allow the industry's leading suppliers and producers an opportunity to quickly and easily understand each other's goals, challenges and needs," says Nicholson. In addition to one-on-one sessions, producers and suppliers had multiple networking opportunities, as well as access to BeckAgConnects.com, an invitation-only social networking forum for those in the ag industry. For more information about participating in future NFocus Forums for Agribusiness, please contact Kim Nicholson at kimn@nfocuspartners.com or at (678) 982-9375 or visit www.nfocusforums.com for additional information. About NFocus Partners A leading management consulting firm with a vast support network of subject area specialists, NFocus is the brainchild of co-founders Kim Nicholson and Sanjay Patel. With NFocus Partners, Kim and Sanjay have established a globally focused operation capable of servicing organizations of all sizes and types-helping them identify new opportunities and quantify value propositions. With Analysis, Solutions and Support tactics to address a variety of business challenges, NFocus is quickly revolutionizing the way agribusiness professionals-both suppliers and producers-engage and interact with one another towards successful and mutually beneficial transactions. About Beck Ag Beck Ag consults with agricultural clients to integrate experience-sharing marketing solutions and provide educational opportunities for their clients' customers. Beck Ag's ability to talk with the marketplace and influence targeted prospects has been verified by several Purdue University research studies, and their work has been recognized numerous times by the National Agri-Marketing Association. -END- Tweet |
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